Live Science Today: Jaw-dropping first glimpse of sperm whale birth and how NASA is turning astronauts into test subjects
Friday, March 27, 2026: Your daily roundup of the biggest science stories making headlines.
Category: Science
‘Major disruption in Neanderthal history’: 65,000 years ago, all Neanderthals in Europe died out except for one lineage
The last Neanderthals to survive in Europe came from a single lineage that survived the worst period of the ice age, ancient DNA reveals.
A rare star in a tiny galaxy preserves a record of the early universe
Found in an ultrafaint dwarf galaxy, the ancient star’s unusual chemistry indicates it formed from gas enriched by a single early supernova.
Mystery medical episode that left astronaut unable to speak shows one of NASA’s biggest risks as moon missions ramp up
Veteran astronaut Michael Fincke’s sudden medical emergency aboard the ISS is a stark reminder that, as NASA pushes toward long-term lunar missions, astronaut health remains
Our fossil fuel economy is a house of cards and Trump’s war in Iran is about to topple it. The need for a clean energy transition has never been clearer.
Trump’s war in Iran is the embodiment of everything that’s wrong with our dependence on fossil fuels — and it’s highlighting just how vital the
Synesthesia isn’t just in your mind. The body reacts as if the colors were real.
Pupil size in people with synesthesia changed depending on how bright or dark the perceived colors were.
Artemis II Crew’s Suits
The Orion Crew Survival System suits that Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen
When Coupled Volcanoes Talk, These Researchers Listen
In the summer of 1912, word reached Robert Fiske Griggs that the apocalypse had arrived on Kodiak, an inhabited island off the coast of Alaska.
Scientists watch sperm whales work as a team to assist a birth
An unprecedented look at the birth of a sperm whale found that mother and calf were supported by other whales throughout the process. (Image credit:
How snakes defy gravity to stand tall
Limbless tree snakes can lift most of their body into the air without toppling. They manage this by focusing all their bending forces at their
Welcome to the weird world of AI agent teams
AI agents are starting to work in teams, but without careful organization, groups of bots can easily fall into chaos.
Here’s the stargazing gear you need for April 2026 — don’t miss the Lyrids, two comets and the full moon
These are our top camera, binocular and telescope recommendations for April’s stargazing events, including the Lyrid meteor shower and two bright comets.
DNA shed by every living thing is lurking in the environment — and it could tell us how Earth is changing in real time
Environments are littered with the DNA of the creatures that inhabit them. Analyzing it could provide a real-time view of how our planet is changing.
Lençóis Maranhenses: Brazil’s dune-filled expanse that sits at the intersection of 3 biomes
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park hosts sand-dune fields that fill up with lagoons every wet season, but the reserve also has mangrove swamps where species such